Yucca

An avalanche of new data from Mountain View

Ok, so it’s hardly breaking news but a few weeks ago Google updated Adwords reporting functionality to show PPC Search Funnels data. I’d like to think that my delay in writing a blog about this development is made up for by the fact that, despite Google assurances to the contrary, we’ve been expecting it for some time (notably in our PPC 2010 Predictions blog), but the sorry truth is that I’ve just not got round to it.

The concept of search funnels as demonstrating the path from research to purchase is far from new, and Yucca have talked about it for as long as I can remember. The traditional idea is that a search engine user who’s in the market for a particular Widget will start with a generic search term to conduct initial research. They’ll then refine this search term one or more times, before using a specific product identifier or brand term immediately before purchase.
For example:

START - “widgets” > “blue widgets” > “cheap blue widgets” > “Blue Widgets R Us” – PURCHASE

While this seems like a perfectly feasible concept, until now Google Adwords conversion tracking has only ever given credit for the purchase to the last Adwords keyword in the path – the brand keyword. Often, this has led to advertisers failing to see any value in PPC, thinking that brand keywords are the only ones generating any sales.

The Adwords Search Funnel data now lets us see the whole path and better appreciate the role played by generic keywords in generating a sale. Interestingly, data is not restricted to ad clicks but shows ad impressions a user saw in the run up to a sale, further elucidating the path to purchase.

It’s fair to say that this new functionality has opened the flood gates on a whole lot of statistics, some more useful than others. For me, the most important application of this data will be to provide solid justification to continue bidding on a wide range of generic keywords that previously have been credited with only a handful of conversions.

We’ve always recognised that bidding on such terms maintains a healthy, balanced campaign and increases overall sales volume. Search Funnels analysis confirms this and will lead to yet more intelligent bidding, increased campaign efficiency and a greater sales volume.